Mistakes
by zaibi12
Summary: Another Cobert fanfiction. After what Bricker did and Cora bringing out a story from the past which would leave Robert speechless. Please please do review :) x


It had been a week since Robert punched Simon Bricker because he was behaved out of line. Robert gave Cora the cold shoulder everytime she tried to talk to him. It killed her.

She sighed and turned the doorknob she'd been holding for quite a while now. She entered to see Robert reading a bed, cozed up in his small bed.

'We need to talk', Cora said without any emotion in her voice.

'No, I don't think we have to.', Robert replied back sharply.

Cora took a deep breath and continued, 'Robert, it's been a week, you cannot drag this any further, I've told nothing happened. Nothing! I didn't invite him'

'And why should I believe that?', Robert sat in a position to face Cora, smashing the book on the bed.

'Because I'm telling you to!', Cora was now full of anger.

'He was mistaken, he was wrong, I know but I don't see how you can blame me..', Cora continued.

'Yes, he was! He was in the wrong! You let him enter you personal life, how could you?!', Robert demanded loudly.

Cora looked straight to his eyes wondering why he couldn't see the facts.

'He wasn't wrong about everything.. ', Cora spoke under her breath but her husband managed to listen.

'Excuse me? '

'Don't pretend Robert. You know you've not been fair to me lately. You shut me out all the time and do you have any idea how badly it hurt me..'

Cora couldn't control her tears, as they slowly slid down her face.

'I ask you about the new houses, you act as if you never heard me. I come to chat with you in the library and you decide to run to some work as fast as you could, I give a suggestion, you don't even bother listening and when someone acknowledges my interests and passions, you find it hard to believe.'

Robert couldn't utter a word. The whole series of events were going on in his eyes and he was trying to make sense of it.

Cora closed her eyes to shut back her tears. She coughed to clear her throat and continued in the softest way possible.

'I was lonely, Robert. I felt alone, I needed something to keep me busy, I miss when I had something to do more than arranging luncheons and dinners. I needed you for most but you kept ignoring me. might've sense my feelings that's why he tried but I don't defend him, I just want you to know, I didn't flirt with him. Yes, I admit I enjoyed the compliments and the importance but I never thought he'd go this far.'

Robert sighed and his muscles started to relax.

'I came here earlier to spend some quality time with you. Seeing you with another man in our room at that hour made me furious. Do you imagine how much pain it caused me, how badly I was hurt when I saw you with another man right infront of my eyes. You've no idea how badly it hurt me.'

Few years ago, Cora promised to never think about "that" topic anymore. It only made her immensely sad, but with Robert mentioning all this, she was hit by a wave of sadness which she had suffered before.

'I think, I do', Cora meant to say it in her heart but it somehow came out of her mouth. She wasn't looking at Robert, she was lost in her thoughts when Robert heard her say that.

'What? When have you ever seen me like this?' Robert asked so sure of himself.

Cora suddenly realizing she had said it out loud got completely shocked. She shaked her head, 'Never mind, are you coming to my room or not?'

'No tell me. When have I ever cheated on you or flirted with another women while I was married to you'

Cora looked into his eyes, looking at how much sure he was of himself.

'I think you do know, Robert.'

Robert got a hint but he preferred to think he was wrong. He gulped as his face turned red.

She can't be talking about..

'Jane.'

Before he could even think about it, Cora spoke the name, that Robert had wanted to erase from his life.

'Did you really thought, I'd never know about her?', Cora's tears once again started flooding down as her heart shattered at the awful memory.

'I was here, right in the other room. I was dying, I was so dizzy but I fought off the dizziness just because I knew you'd come to see me. I was there all alone, on the verge of death and you were here kissing another woman. I heard everything, Robert.

"I want you with every fibre of my being", that's what you said, didn't you? I wanted to die, I wanted to go away because the man who had everything I ever owned, from my money to my heart, didn't even want me anymore. Do you know how THAT makes me feel? '

Cora started sobbing down, unraveling the past, the secret she's kept inside her for all these years. She wanted to let it all out and she did.

'I gave you everything I ever had. I never once thought about another man since the day I met you because I knew that I belonged to you. I left my country, I changed my lifestyle, I gave you all my heart and then there I'm dying and you want another woman. So don't tell me how his flirting hurt you or my reaction shattered you because you I both know, Robert Crawley who's actually at fault. You and I both know that you've never ever loved me as much as I've loved you'

With that she burst out of the dressing room, slamming the door leaving Robert all alone.

Thirty minutes had passed since she went. Robert was in a state of frenzy. He wanted to beat himself. His wife heard him saying all that to that maid when she was dying of a deadly disease. He gave her such a hard time even when it wasn't completely her fault and she acted as if it never happened. Robert couldn't help but cry. He didn't usually do, but this time he couldn't control it. He was so ashamed. He loved Cora with all his heart and he hadn't told her that in a long time. She was the most marvelous combination of beauty and brains, and he chose to ignore her. Bricker was right, not every man is a fool as him. His sweet Cora dedicated her life to him and he couldn't at least give her one of the essentials of any marriage ; loyalty.

He wanted to tell her he loved her and is very sorry for his foolish behavior but he couldn't. How would he face her? After all that had happened. But he had to and so he did.

He entered the room to see only light up by the fire. Cora laid on her back towards him, but he knew she wasn't asleep from the angle of her shoulder.

'Cora?' he asked as more tears fell from his eyes.

No response.

'Cora, my darling, are you awake? ' he asked again.

With no response once again, he hopped into the bed, and held her from her back and placed a long, gentle kiss on her shoulders.

' I'm an idiot.' he admitted.

'I am so sorry Cora, I didn't realize what I was accusing you of and about that maid..'

'Robert, please! I don't want to talk about her ' Cora said without moving her body.

'Very well', Robert sat up straight on the bed and decided to say out everything he felt.

'I don't know what to say, as usual. But I know I'm in the wrong. I saw you with that man that night and it made me so angry but I never realized how you must've felt. Oh, Cora, I feel awful and ashamed.. '

Cora could perfectly hear his voice shaking because of the crying. She couldn't bear him cry, but she had to listen so she didn't move.

'..It was a stupid affair with her but I swear it wasn't love, Cora, I promise you. I love you and only you. I felt ignored too, you were so busy with the arrangements for the soldiers and I acted foolishly upon my boredom. I'm so terribly sorry to hurt you, I know I've broken your heart and I know that you've given me all your life and I'm such an idiot who can't even be a good husband. Anyways, I take back everything I said to you because you made me realize that I was wrong. You taught me how to be fair just like you taught me how to love and I love you, my heart beats for you and I say it with every inch of me. You're everything to me Cora, I don't say it often but we both know you keep me sane'

Cora shut her eyes tightly to take back in her tears but she couldn't help them as her body started to shake as she sobbed.

' Cora, my darling please give me another chance, I'm so sorry'

Cora couldn't hold it anymore, she moved up to hug him tightly. Robert hugged her back. They both cried for many minutes as they held each other.

Cora moved her face to look at him as Robert looked back into her gorgeous blue eyes which drove him crazy. He cupped her face and kissed her lips. She kissed him back, it was s slow long kiss.

As they parted, Cora spoke.

'Thank you for saying that. You've no idea how I kept it to myself all this time.. I thought you didn't want me anymore'

Robert placed his finger on her lips.

' Oh no no, never! I love you till the second I die and as far as I believe, I'll love you even after that'

'I love you too, Robert, so very much'

Robert kissed her forehead and they both snuggled into the bed, each lost in their own thougts, but their thoughts were about each other, about them together. They love each other hopelessly and the will always, unconditionally.


End file.
